Better priority order for series/season/episode parental ratings

[computerprep 148]

Parental ratings on tv shows are difficult to manage at best...

I see the need to have parental/custom ratings for series that are separate from seasons that are separate from episodes, but when the default values from metadata providers aren't what parents want to assign, it is very cumbersome to manage.

For example, a show is rated TV-PG, but I add a custom rating of TV-14. But some episodes have their own parental rating of TV-PG. That show will no longer be visible from the shows list, but the TV-PG episodes are still available from search. Because Episode Ratings take priority over Series Ratings. But Series Custom Ratings should take priority over Episode Parental Ratings.

I understand coding this may not be as simple as this diagram, but if we approach this from a priority standpoint, then all custom ratings should supersede all parental ratings. The following is my suggested priority list for different levels of ratings that pretty much follows general specificity rules:

1. Episode Custom Rating
2. Season Custom Rating
3. Series Custom Rating
4. Playlist/Collection Custom Rating
5. Episode Parental Rating
6. Season Parental Rating
7. Series Parental Rating
8. Playlist/Collection Parental Rating

This way parents can apply a custom rating to as large or small a group as they want and be assured it will override any more general custom and ALL default parental ratings.

This could also be accomplished by some type of Custom Ratings plugin that could be configured to copy all season custom ratings into blank episode ratings, then copy all series custom ratings into blank season/episode custom ratings, then copy all playlist/collection custom ratings into blank series/season/episode custom ratings. I just don't have the bandwidth in my schedule to pursue that.

Edit: I take back what I said about a Custom Ratings plugin. Because once it applies those custom ratings, changing the series custom rating would not apply to all the seasons or episodes. It probably does need to be more of a baked in priority/specificity approach.

Edited June 13, 2024 by computerprep
second thought

[Happy2Play 9780]

Yes as mentioned in the other topic this is conflict as episodes can have their own default rating different than Series/Show level already creating parental controls.

So all episodes with no PA will inherit from Series/Show level while all episode the have PA will not.

To a point I believe there should be a library option to exclude this info at episode level from provider.  @LukeOr Series/Show level Custom rating overrides all episode level ratings.